Submarine weapon for use against vessels equipped with paravanes or the like



April 27 1926. 1,582,387

G. E. ELIA SUBMARINE WEAPON FOR USE AGAINST VESSELS EQUIPPED .WITH PARAVANES OR THE LIKE Filed Sept. 30 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor,

Giovanni Emanuele Elia,

By his Attorneys,

SUBMARINE WEAPON FOR use; AGAINST VESSELS EQUIPPED A ril 27, 1926.

2 Shets-Sheet 2 Inventur,

Giovanni Emanuele Elia,

By his Attorneys, Mk

Patented Apr. 27, 1926.

GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA, OF ROME, ITALY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 'lO DALLYN LUCAS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

SUIBMARINE WEAPON FOR USE AGAINST VESSELS EQUIPPED WITH PARAVANES OR THE LIKE.

Application filed September To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at 28 Via Po, Rome, Italy, have invented new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Submarine \Veapons for Use Against Vessels Equipped with Paravanes or the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to weapons for use against vessels equipped with paravanes or other forms of towed bodies employed for mine sweeping or cutting purposes, the object of the invention being to cause the paravane or the like to increase the eliective range of a submarine mine.

Experiments have shown that if a mine is locked to a body that is being towed from the bow or adjacent part of a vessel the mme is dragged from its moorings and drawn by the towed body towards the vessel, and, according to the present invention, the mooring rope of a submarine mine 1s provided with means, which, when the mooring rope is engaged by a paravane or the like or by its tow line, locks itself to the paravane or the like or to its tow line so as to cause the tow line to pull the mine into contact with the hull of the vessel.

To this end the mooring rope may be provided at a suitable point or points along its length with a device or a series of devices which cannot be cut by the cutter of the paravane and which are adapted to grip the paravane or its tow line. Such devices in their simplest form may be constituted by inverted cone-like members made from hard ened steel and adapted as the cutter of the paravane moves along the mooring rope to engage themselves between the jaws thereof. As they cannot be cut, they serve to connect the mooring rope to the paravane and thereby cause the fiotation chamber to be dragged into contact with the hull of the vessel. Alternatively, the mooring rope may be provided with fixed hooks or other gripping devices or with means such as pivoted arms or the like which close in and grip the )aravane or its tow line immediately said devices are struck, said devices being disposed at suitable distances apart along the mooring rope in proximity to the flotation chamber.

In order to increase the tendency for the flotation chamber to be brought into contact 30, 1925. Serial No. 59,680.

with the hull of the vessel after the mooring rope has become attached to the tow line of the paravane, means may be provided, associated with the said gripping device or devices, for cutting or severing the tow line of the paravane, as also, if desired, the mooring rope of the mine, so as to cause the entire mine, or in cases where the mooring rope is also severed, the flotation chamber only, to become attached to the severed end of the paravane tow line. As the para-vane no longer operates, or tends to operate, to keep the tow line away from the fore-and-aft line of the vessel, the flotation chamber will immediately be swung by the severed para vane tow line, into contact with the hull or bottom of the ship. The said device which grips and cuts the severed tow line may be of the type described in my co-pending patent application No. 59,681, filed Sept. 30, 1925.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a mechanism for gripping the paravane or its tow. Figures 1 and 2 are elevations at right angles to each other and Figures 3 and 4 are sections showing the mechanism which selects which of the two jaws should operate.

10 is a mooring rope to which is connected as hereinafter described a shank 11 having fixed on each side of its upper end two prongs 12. An arm 13 is pivoted at 130 to one side of the shank and an arm 14 is pivoted at 140 to the other side, so that when they are turned outwards as shown in Figure 1 they are approximately at right angles to the prongs 12. Above the pivots 130 and 140 of the arms are fixed other arms 15 and 16 carrying knives 150 and 160 which engage with knives 131 and 141 on the arms 13 and 14 when they are raised. To the mooring rope 10 is secured a pulley 17 round which passes a rope 18, one part of which passes round pulleys 151 and 132 on the arms 15 and 18, its end being secured at 152 to the arm 15, whilst the other part passes round pulleys 161 and 142 on the arms 16 and 14 and is secured at 162 to the arm 16. The strain on the mooring rope 10 tends to move the arms 13 and 14 towards the arms 15 and 16 this movement is prevented by the bolts 19 secured to the arms 13 and 14 which break when a predetermined strain is put upon the mooring rope 10. On the two parts of the rope 18 are stops 20 and 21 which are normally held in position as shown in Figure 3, by levers 22 and 23, the ends of the levers resting on a block 24 pivoted at 240. hen the paravane or rope engages with one or other of the prongs 1 2 the strain on the mooring rope increases until it is sufficient to break the bolts 19 and the block 24 is moved to one, or other side of the shank according to the direction of strain eXer- If I the block is moved clockwise the lever 22 is ciscd by the paravane or its tow rope.

tripped as shown in Figure 4 and the stop 20 is freed allowing that part of the rope to be drawn downwards, and causing the arm 13 to move towards the arinlo and clamp between them the paravane or paravane tow'rope whilst the knives 181 and 150 thereto and comprising means for engaging a paravane tow line, means thereafter moved to grip the tow line, and means to 'cut the tow line to free the same from the paravane.

2. A submarine Weapon having a mooring rope, a gripping and cutting device secured thereto and comprising means for engaging a paravane tow line, and a pair of pivoted arms thereafter operable first to grip the tow line and then to cut the tow line to free the same "from the paravane.

3. A submarine min'e having a mooring rope to which is secured a gripping and cutting device consisting, of two pivoted arms adapted to engage with two fixed arms, prongs. adapted'to engage the tow line of a paravane, means for preventing the movement of the pivoted arms until a predetermined strain is placed upon them, a pivoted block, two' pivoted levers engaging the pivoted block, and stops on ropes connected to the mooring rope and actuating the pivoted arms.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name this 18th day of September 1925.

GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA. 

